Lack of belief in God & confusion
Question
If i don't believe in God, how can i motivate myself to do his Will?
i don't know where to believe.Monks of my religion (christianity) who have done miracles and became saints (like Monks Paisios) don't believe in past lives and say that it is the biggest trap of the Devil to make us relax and not strive for our salvation.If past lives are true how can a saint who has the Holy Spirit not believe?Therefore i don't know what to believe anymore....Or better how to believe,so that i am motivated to follow your advice and generally any spiritual advice.
Answer
If there is a lack of belief in God, then simply base your efforts upon belief of your own self which you certainly believe. You asked this query, you are now reading the reply, you will do various things in the course of the day and you will finally enjoy sound sleep at night. So there is an entity which is present as the prime mover in all these activities. That entity is called as the Atman (pure self or soul). It is the real you. It is not the body, mind or your sense of Ego, for all these wear out when that prime moving force leaves the body on death. So it is something beyond these. Focus your efforts on finding out who this pure-self or your true self is.
Do not worry about past births or future births. Let them exist or not exist. Do not worry about what a saint has to say or not say. Simply strive to realize your true-self, eliminating all that which cannot be the self, knowing that the self is beyond any need, suffering or limitation. It is infinite and in a state of eternal bliss, without the least blemish or defect. It is beyond pain or pleasure and rock steady.
To achieve this, one has to gradually develop dispassion over everything non-self which includes the Ego, mind, body and the world comprised of objects. The self alone should be sought after by discounting everything else, knowing these to be fluctuating and hence not the self, for the self is unwavering, completely steady and in perfect equilibrium. Anything which changes or wavers cannot be the self. Hence the mind, its emotions and the Ego which constantly waver are not the self. Simply strive to find that Supreme self within you which is free from all limitation or change. As you progress this way, the doubts will gradually taper away and the self alone remains. You can then call it God, self or something else. The names do not matter.
ॐ तत् सत्
(That Supreme being is the absolute truth)